The Salford-born actor has appeared in a string of acclaimed TV dramas penned by Jimmy McGovern and takes the lead in the latest – called The Accused – which starts on BBC1 on Monday.

Christopher Eccleston insists: “I’ve worked solidly in TV, film and theatre for the last 21 years. I’ve no idea what the real world’s like.”

The Salford actor has a nice line in modesty as he teams up again with award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern, the creator of Cracker, Hillsborough and so much more.

“Jimmy has the magic of making average actors like me look good,” says Eccleston, who takes the lead in the first episode of Accused (BBC1, Monday, 9pm).

Filmed in Manchester, Salford and other parts north west, the new six-part series comes from the same team which made award-winning The Street. It also features, among others, Mackenzie Crook, Juliet Stevenson, Marc Warren and Peter Capaldi.

Each week’s drama begins with a character facing a court verdict. We then see their story play out in the wider world before returning for the outcome at the end of the film, having finally learned what they are accused of.

It’s a powerful and clever formula which begins with Eccleston as plumber Willy Houlihan, a father in turmoil, cheating on his wife and plunged into money worries when a company goes bankrupt, unable to pay him for his last job.

“I don’t think he’s ever been in trouble with the law before. He’s very good at his job. He married his childhood sweetheart, they had their children in their mid-twenties. He sounds very much like a man confronting mortality in his middle years. A throroughly decent everyman who makes all too human errors.”

McGovern said this week that TV drama should reflect reality and make strong points. His new series certainly does that.

“I hope what Accused demonstrates is that audiences do not go to bed talking about tracking shots, costumes or lighting. They go to bed talking about human motivation,” explains Eccleston. “People sit down to watch drama, to watch other people in extraordinary circumstances or whatever. And the people who provide that are writers. Drama does not come from actors, producers or directors.

“We all go to work because of writers who sit alone in rooms and think up ideas. The most difficult area of making television is the writing of the script.”

He adds: “I think myself and Jimmy were both very influenced by Alan Bleasdale and that era of television. I watched BBC4’s repeat recently of Yosser’s Story in Boys From The Blackstuff and it’s just as powerful. In fact, it takes on resonance because we’re heading for mass unemployment again. It’s actually a very simple story, simply told.

“There’s no doubt at that time there was some dross around also but basically, in terms of television drama, what was at the centre was the idea of the writer as king. It’s very important that Jimmy McGovern is always given a voice on British television because he leads the way. He sets the standard and has done for 20 years.”

Seen on screen earlier this year as John Lennon in Lennon Naked, the former Doctor Who star insists: “There are many actors who could have played Willy and many actors who could have played (DCI David) Bilborough in Cracker. I was just fortunate. My face fitted at the time. Jimmy’s rhythms I do understand, yeah. I get his writing. I’m not the only actor who could do that.”

The first story features Pooky Quesnel as Willy’s wife, former Coronation Street actress Emma Stansfield as his mistress and recently departed Corrie star Tupele Dorgu as a functions manager. Former Shameless actress Joanna Higson co-stars as Willy’s daughter.

There’s no doubt that Eccleston is one of the greatest actors of his generation, with a CV that also includes the likes of Our Friends In The North, The Second Coming and Hearts And Minds. He rates the latter, also written by McGovern, as his favourite, playing an idealistic young teacher at a comprehensive school.

“Without McGovern, I wouldn’t be where I am. Cracker gave me a face on television. Hillsborough is the most important piece of work I’ve ever done and ever will do. He came along at a very important time for me because I was a young actor and it seemed that the idea was, ‘Well, you just make money and have fun.’ And that wasn’t enough for me.

“I was brought up with the idea that television and art could do that kind of thing. It sounds pompous but that’s what I believed. I didn’t think it was just Pop Idol, television. I thought it was a place where the nation spoke to itself and confronted itself.

“McGovern had so much power after Cracker, he could have done anything. What did he do? He went to the Hillsborough Family Support Group and said, ‘I want to tell your story.’ That was an act of conscience. It’s very rare. We should be very proud of having a guy like that in our midst.”

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